Everyone has a song
by Violetinspiration
Summary: When Boober goes missing, his friends learn about secrets from his past. My first fanfic, so reviews are needed and appreciated!
1. The Medley

Disclaimer: I do not own Fraggle Rock. I do this for pleasure, not profit.

Everybody Has a Song

Chapter 1

"Today's the day!" Mokey said.

Wembley yawned, stretched, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Gobo looked irritated.

"Why'd you have to get us up in the middle of the night, eh?"

"Because Cantus is coming!" Mokey said, eyes aglow.

"She's been tracking his visits on a calendar," said Red, rolling her eyes.

"Yes," said Mokey, "and Boober's been helping me."

Three heads swiveled in Mokey's direction. "HUH?"

"He's probably noting the best time to avoid the Great Hall, " said Red.

Gobo nodded. "Yeah, probably. I just wish he'd lighten up a little. You know, spend less time doing laundry and more time having fun."

Gobo's friends nodded in agreement, though Mokey looked unsure. "But, Boober's Boober. I mean, if he weren't around, who would cook or do laundry? It'd be a disaster. All Fraggles have a place, and Boober fits his perfectly."

Wembley tugged on Mokey's sleeve. "But Boober's always going to be around, right?"

"Right," said Red. "So let's stop worrying about Boober and get ready to welcome Cantus."

The four friends turned and walked out the entrance to the Great Hall.

0o0

Boober was feeling unusually gleefull. There was an extra large load of laundry to do, a new recipe to try, and for once, nobody was trying to make him join the Medley.

"I guess leaving early did the trick," Boober said, "although I will deliver the cake. Let's see, for Radish Von Rouge, I'll need-"

He was interrupted by a grunt from behind him. He turned to see a speckled creature with thick, black eyebrows and a funnel for a nose.

"It's a Blustering Bellowpane Monster!" Boober cried. He ran as though his legs were on fire. The monster followed, honking like a bicycle horn. Boober sprinted a few yards and doubled back, panting with exhaustion and fear. "Maybe I can lose him," Boober huffed.

Boober didn't notice the hole until he was halfway to the bottom of it. He barely had time to gasp before he plunged into a pool of half-frozen water. Boober waded his way out of the pool and began to shiver. He was no warmer than he had been when he was _in_ the water, even after he had dried himself with his scarf.

"Maybe- I- can- climb- back- up-" Boober grunted as he clawed his way up the inside of the hole. It was a fruitless effort; the surface was smooth and slick with ice crystals.

He was trapped in nowhere.


	2. Cousin

Disclaimer: I don't own Fraggle Rock. I do this for pleasure, not profit.

Everybody Has a Song

Chapter 2

After an hour of partying, Boober still hadn't appeared.

"He's going to wait until the medley is over," said Red when she noticed Gobo glancing at the entrance to the Great Hall. "Hey, the Doozer Sticks are delicious today. Want one?"

"I don't know, Red. He was going to make Radish von Rouge for the medley. Wouldn't he at least have delivered the cake?"

Red frowned. "Maybe you're right. He _does _like to show off his cooking."

"Where could he be hiding, though, if he wanted to skip the medley?" said Mokey. "It's not like Boober to make us worry."

The four friends sat together in silent puzzlement. Suddenly Cantus, who had been whispering to the other Minstrels a few yards away, stood up abruptly and walked over to them.

"Boober seems to be missing, is he," said Cantus. His voice seemed grim and flat, with a certainty that made it not a question, but a statement.

"How can you tell?" said Wembley.

"His song seems far away," Cantus said, "Although I cannot be sure. The ability to hear other's songs is strongest in Fraggles younger than I."

"Can we hear his song?" asked Wembley, who was chewing nervously on a Doozer stick.

"Most Fraggles require ample training to hear the songs of others. A few are born with the ability. The youngest within my recollection is Lana Fraggle, Boober's cousin."

"Cousin?" said Gobo. Boober doesn't have a cousin."

Cantus sighed. "Yes he does."

"How come he never told us?" cried Mokey indignantly.

Mokey, are you okay?' asked Gobo

"It is not a happy tale," said Cantus, "nor is this the only secret he has kept from you."

When Red spoke, her voice was just a whisper. "Where did you hear this?"

"From Lana herself. Go now and find Boober. The medley will not commence until he is at peace."

0o0

Boober coughed as he stumbled through the frozen underground. Was it his imagination, or was he colder than before?

"I'm sick," Boober muttered hoarsely. "I'll probably perish down here."

He registered, with some surprise, that the thought did not scare him. He was calm; the inevitable had come at last.

"I guess if I'm going to die," he said, "It won't hurt to lie down for a while." Boober shivered as cold slate met him where he lay.


	3. Songs

Disclaimer: Yet again, I do not own Fraggle Rock. I do this for pleasure, not profit.

Author's note: Thanks for the review, punk-rock-mermaid-queen! :) It will take a while for me to type the whole story up, and I don't know how to add chapter six, but check every day, guys. I'll be back:)

Everyone has a Song,

Chapter 3

Lana slowly eased herself out of bed, grabbed her walking stick, and went over to the kitchen to make herself a breakfast of avocado meal. As she pounded the avocado to a pulp with her pestle, she recalled the nightmare she had had the night before.

_Lana turned away from the burning house, looking at Boober, who was rooted to the spot, tears making his soot-covered face wet and streaky. "Boober, come on!" she yelled, but Boober wouldn't move. He was calling out for his mother in the darkness. Lana envied him. As ridiculous as it was to be jealous now, she envied him for the family he was so desperate to find. Hers was gone._

"_Boober, I'll carry you if you just move!"_

"_Mom," said Boober. _

Lana sighed as that day's memory came back to her, its bright imagery invading her thoughts. She and Boober had walked through the snow for seven days until they had reached Fraggle Rock. As far as Lana knew, he was still there, paranoid, afraid, and friendless.

Suddenly, she heard a knock at her door. Leaning on her stick, she walked to her door, scrunching up her face in concentration in order to catch a few notes of her visitor's song.

Instead of just one, four melodies greeted her heart, songs filled with joy and hope, true songs.

"Fraggle Rock Fraggles. They must be," she said.

Curiosity flooded her mind and the brightness of the songs swirled around her. She opened the door.

"What can I do for you?" said Lana. She looked out at the Fraggles, who seemed unusually solemn.

Maybe they're not Fraggle rock Fraggles after all, she thought.

"We're friends of Boober's," said the Fraggle in the front, who was wearing a cardigan, "And we need your help."

0o0

Boober felt his strength slowly going away. He felt incredibly cold, horribly thirsty. He tried to crawl closer to the pond, but moving more than an inch made him dizzy.

His vision began to blur, going in and out of focus like a reflection on a pond. During the moments when his vision was blurry, he thought he could see a magenta Fraggle wearing a scraggly, blue-feathered hat.

"Mom?" Boober's voice reverberated through the darkness.


	4. Mother

Everyone has a Song

Chapter four

"I hope you don't mind tea," said Lana as she passed a steaming purple mug to each Fraggle. "I haven't had a reason to make much else lately: I don't usually get guests." She smiled at Wembley, who was slurping his tea enthusiastically. He was the only one even touching his drink. She wondered if she'd made it too bitter.

"Boober," said Mokey, and burst into tears.

Gobo looked at Mokey concernedly. Ever since Boober had gone missing, she had become, well…strained. She seemed to be slowly losing her calm and her light and her… Mokeyness.

The things that made her so beautiful…

The thought came to his mind unannounced. What was that, he wondered, and turned his attention back to Lana.

"…Estranged, really, Boober and I," she was saying, "He hates me."

"Why?" asked Wembley.

"We had an argument," said Lana, "And he made me swear the Oath of the Grove- "

"The Oath of the Grove?" asked Red, confused.

"Yes, the- wait, you don't know?"

The Fraggles slowly shook their heads.

"If you don't know where Boober came from, then I can't say," murmured Lana. "This is his business. It's not up to me to decide whom to tell. Look, I'll tell you where Boober is, but I refuse to stick my nose into this. You're on your own there."

She closed her eyes, her red and blue striped dress fanning out as she stood and plodded to the center of the room.

She began to speak in an intense, focused voice.

"He's under the rock, in a cavern untouched by the warmth of the Great Bell." She opened her eyes. "What's the Great Bell?"

The Fraggles looked at each other, deaf to Lana's question, and Gobo, in a voice that leaked pure liquid fear, "The Undergrounds of Eternal Ice."

0o0

Mom?" Boober's vision didn't clear. "Mom?'

"Sweetheart." Glenda's voice rang, but her figure was still blurry.

"Prepare for the refugees, honey. I love you,"

"Mom, don't leave!"

Boober closed his eyes in disbelief and pain. Was he just imagining this?

"I never left."

Boober opened his eyes and found himself alone.

"Noooo…" he sobbed, and a blanket of sweet unconsciousness enveloped him.


	5. Rescue

Everybody has a song

Chapter 5

"THE UNDERGROUNDS OF ETERNAL ICE?" Red cried.

"Oh, no, any place but that!"

"What are you talking about? What is the Great Bell? Why are you all acting so funny? What's going on?" Lana no longer seemed distant or careless; she read the panic in the other Fraggles' voices and her knees threatened to buckle when she heard it.

Gobo quickly explained how the Great Bell kept everyone in the Rock alive. "The Undergrounds are so deep and dark that the warmth of the Bell can't reach it," he said. "But couldn't you use Boober's song to help us find him?"

Lana's face was filled with a sad longing of an expression, but she only said, "I don't think so."

"Why not?" Red erupted. "Are you saying you don't care about your own cousin?"

" I _do_ care about him! I just think it would be better for him if I wasn't around."

"Well, wembling about it won't help him," said Gobo, "And neither will you not being around. You can find him. Please." Gobo was almost pleading now.

Lana stared at him. "You guys really do love him, don't you?"

Red was defensive. "Why shouldn't we?"

"You don't understand. When we first came here, Boober was afraid of everything. Absolutely everything. I thought friends for him would be…impossible." She paused. "I guess I'm going down there with you after all."

0o0

Several minutes later, a wagon borrowed from Lou was piled high with remedies, lamps, blankets, and whatever else the Fraggles could find.

"He didn't take his winter clothes with him," whispered Mokey. "We have less time than we thought." She held up one of his scarves. Lana's eyes grew wide, then teary.

"I made that for him." She walked over to the scarf and stroked it gently. " I made that for him and he kept it."

The Fraggles paused as if in reverence, and then began the long trek to the Undergrounds.

A little later, after many sharp turns and Lana's calls of, "Left! Right!" They found the hole Boober had fallen through. Gobo saw that if they jumped, they would land in water, so Lana held a rope as the others climbed down. As she held it, a day came back to her, clear in it's ugliness…

"_Boober, you look pale. Are you all right?"_

"_This Fraggle asked me who I was. She knows, Lana." _

"_How could she possibly? The World's oldest Fraggle promised to keep our past a secret."_

"_Don't you see? We can't trust him, he's senile."_

"_Boober, you're being paranoid and rude. You're too wrapped up in the past…"_

"We're coming up!" Gobo yelled, "And we've got Boober!"

Lana started. "Alive?"

Gobo sighed. "Barely."

Don't worry, Boober, Lana silently vowed, relief spreading through her. Whatever happens, I will do whatever it takes to make things right.


	6. Nightmare

Chapter 6

Boober was unconscious. "It's probably better that he is," said Lana. "It'll give him a nice long rest."

"Lana, uhm…" said Wembley, "Why did you never come see Boober? I mean, you're family, right?"

"Come to think of it, we've never seen any of his family, " said Gobo.

"Lana's face tensed. She gently grabbed her stick, pulled herself up to her full height, which was just a bit shorter than Mokey, and said, "let me put it this way; not all Fraggle societies are as nice as yours. Boober grew up in one where everyone lived in fear. Where no one helped each other." She paused. "That's all you need to know."

"But what about his family?" said Red. "Spill it! You've got no right to keep secrets from us!

"Lana's gaze turned as black and brittle as slate. "These are Boober's secrets," she said, her tone steely, "not mine. And I won't hurt him any more than I already have by divulging them." She walked over to Boober and touched his forehead.

"His fever's up. Anybody know where I can get some moonrose?" "I'll go said Wembely. "I've been there before, with Boober."

"I'll go with you, " said Lana, stick in hand. It clomped on the floor as she joined him.

On the way down to the cave of shadows, the two Fraggles were quiet. Each was wrapped up in their own memories, some bittersweet.

"Y' know, I never paid any attention to Boober like I should have." Said Wembely. "I never really listened about medicine and now I've got no clue, no clue what to do."

"At least you've only known him for a little while." Said Lana. She plucked a moonrose flower from a snaggle of plants on

a nearby rock. I've had years to cause damage. I once-" "Wembely! Lana! Help!"

Red was running toward them with the blinding speed of a true athlete. Wembely opened his mouth in shock. Lana froze. Her deep magenta body grew as stiff as her beaded hair rustled in the breeze.

"Quick, Quick!" said Red. "Run, Run!"

"What's going on?" Wembely gasped, scrambling alongside Lana, who was struggling to keep up.

"Boober's delirious!" said Red. "He's yelling things that don't make sense! It's scaring the stalagmites out of Mokey- and- she's the calmest Fraggle in the Rock!"

Lana, despite the fact that her stick was practically holding her up, made it to Boober's room first. He was thrashing fitfully, and screening things that made horror hit her heart. She could almost hear the thud.

"Mom! Dad!" Oh Lana, we have to find them! The house is burning!"

Lana ran up to him. Boober, you're very sick and-"

"I'm not leaving them behind! Mom! Dad! Oh no…No…"

Lana pushed Boober's shoulders down against the pillow until he was too tired to fight anymore. "Sleep Boober, " said Lana, motioning for the sprig of moonrose still in Wembley's hand. He gave it to her, and she passed it toRed.

"Can you make tea out of this? It will stop him from hallucinating."

Red took the sprig and dashed to the kitchen. Boober began to fight again, shouting, "We can't leave them all behind! Lana! Lana!"

There was a crash from the kitchen "She's broken the teapot," muttered Lana. "Mokey, could you-"

Mokey wordlessly shook her head, eyes fixed on Boober. Gobo realized that instead of comforting the others as she normally would, she was focused entirely on Boober. It was almost as if-

"Gobo, go!" said Lana pointing her head towards the kitchen. She pressed harder on Boober's shoulders as he tried to sit up. "We need that tea!"

Gobo looked at Boober, who was still thrashing weakly, and hurried off to the kitchen.

As he opened the door he heard a muffled noise, almost like a squeak. Red was crying.

"Red?"

Red stood in the middle of the room, the shards of the broken teapot scattered around her. Her face was buried in the tea towel.

"Red, are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?"

Gobo looked around, trying to see which one of the broken pieces had cut her.

Red turned. "Go away!" she said

"Red, it's okay to be scared." He thought of Boober lying listlessly in bed and shuddered. "I'm terrified!"

Red lowered the tea towel from her face. Gobo scared? Never!

"I knew you'd come in here just to make fun of me," she said. "Oh, Gobo, I feel just awful. I try to do something nice for Boober and I break his tea pot." She sobbed heavily. "I wreck everything."

"You don't wreck everything and I'm not making fun of you, Red." Gobo hugged his friend gently. "And besides, Boober always has a spare."

Gobo opened the cupboard above the stove. Inside was a teapot identical to the one Red had broken. "See?"

Gobo set the water to boil. He tossed the moonrose in.

"W-when we were trapped in that spiral cave place, Boober told me a secret."

"Really?" said Gobo.

"Yes, he said that he sometimes likes the good times he has with us."

"That's no secret, " said Gobo. "Of course he does. We only have to look at Sidebottom to know that."

"I wonder what happened to Boober that was so horrible, " said Red.

"I don't know, but eventually we'll find out," said Gobo.

Soon the tea had been administered and Boober was asleep.

"That was a funny nightmare Boober had, huh?" said Wembely.

Lana's voice shook. "That was not a nightmare, that really happened."

Lana stood up, clasping her stick. "I've decided. I'm going to tell you everything. But sit down; it's a long story."


	7. Stories

Chapter 8

"Boober's parents," Lana began, "died in a fire."

"A f-fire?" said Wembley. "Didn't they have a volunteer fire department?"

Lana looked at the floor. "This is going to be hard to explain." said Lana.

"Perhaps I can help?" said a voice.

"CANTUS!"

All the young Fraggles except Boober jumped to their feet.

"Cantus, did you hear-"

"Poor Boober-"

"His parents-

"Cantus, what does it all mean-"

Cantus put his hand up, the strange mark that showed them he was a leader of minstrels clearly visible on his palm. Red remembered without fondness the day she'd borne that mark.

"Everything will be explained, and in it's own time," said Cantus. "But in order for those who must understand to understand, a strong foundation must be laid. Sing your song for them, Lana."

"Now?" said Lana uncertainly. "IN front of Boober? But he still-"

"One day," said Cantus, "your young Fraggle friend will realize that it does not matter who was ultimately responsible for the death of his parents. Now, sing."

Lana sighed, took a deep breath, and began.

"La de lah, lah de lah,

Lah, lah, la, la, la, la, la, la, la."

The Fraggles drew back, astounded. Lana's singing was exquisite; every syllable was timed right, every note in perfect tune. Only Cantus had such a masterful voice.

"Where Boober grew up, doing that would be forbidden, said Lana. "All music is forbidden."

Red gasped. "Music forbidden? But-"

"We had a leader, Lana interrupted, "Who forbade music, among many other things. She didn't want even seem to care whether we lived or died, so mostly we just fended for ourselves. As long as her rules were obeyed, she left us alone."

Mokey spoke, eyes still glued to Boober. "How could Boober's cave have caught fire? Rock isn't flammable."

"Oh, we didn't live in caves. We lived in the hollows of old trees. In a grove. We called our leader the Grove's Oldest Fraggle."

"What's the Oath of the Grove?" asked Gobo.

"Oh, that. The Oath is sort of a joke in the grove. No one ever kept it, but it was the only way Boober had of kicking me out."

"But why?" asked Mokey, tears beginning to flow. "Why would he push you away?"

Lana sighed. "There are two reasons for that. I'll tell you the really bad part first."

She paused. None of the other Fraggles moved.

"All right. Imagine this, if you will. You've heard music for the first time. You have no clue what it is, what it's for. What do you do?"

Wembley snapped a Doozer Stick off a giant Doozer tower being built in the corner of the room. The whole structure toppled, sending a horde of Doozers scurrying.

"I guess I'd ask someone what it was," he said.

"Right. And I had only one Fraggle to ask. Boober. See, the music I heard, nobody else could hear. It was my song."

The Fraggles nodded, and Lana continued, "So we – Boober and I – went to a secret place we had, just outside the grove. I sang my song. He had no idea what it was either, so we went home. Well, someone must have heard, because when we woke up the next morning, and Boober's dad was telling us to run. And the smoke..." Lana began to cry, putting her hands over her mouth to muffle her sobs.

When she finally got control of herself, she looked up. She couldn't see any anger in the Fraggles' eyes, so she said, "We don't know how the Grove's Oldest Fraggle knew, or if she knew. I'd like to think that she wasn't capable of such atrocities. But Boober always blamed me for his parents' deaths, because I sang."

The silence in the room was broken only by Lana's sniffles. Mokey looked away from Boober for the first time since that morning. "I don't blame you. You were young. How could you have known?"

"Tell that to Boober," choked Lana, a bite in her tone.

"Lana," asked Wembley, What was it you started to tell me in the Cave of

Shadows?" You once what?"

"That's the second reason he kicked me out. I dared him to jump in a mud puddle."

Gobo snorted.

"It's not funny. I was hearing all songs, all the time by then. By the time we got to Fraggle Rock. Ever try to listen to thousands of songs at once, twenty-four hours a day? It'll drive you nuts. Needless to say, I wasn't the most pleasant Fraggle to be around. I still cared about Boober though. He was so terrified after everything that had happened that for a good part of the month he was bedridden. Until he got the courage to leave his room, I did everything for him."

Gobo tried to imagine the scenario, and could almost see it in his mind. I have to be the strong one, he thought, wiping away his tears.

"And as if that weren't bad enough," said Lana, her voice flat as the rock under her feet, "When he finally was better, I had this idea that his fears would go away if he just confronted them-"

"Well, wouldn't they?" asked Red.

"You'd think so, but I guess I went the wrong way about it. I bullied him until he jumped in, then he panicked. I pulled him out as quick as I could, but he still made me swear I would never come back. I left. I met Cantus, and he taught me how to control my gift. Now the songs come to me only when I want them to, but my cousin is still alienated from me."

0o0

One week later Boober awoke, expecting to feel cold rock underneath him, or to hear more voices from the past. He dimly remembered himself relieving his parents' deaths, and someone trying to help him. He tried to remember whom, and felt dizzy.

Some time later he realized that he was no longer on the floor of the cave. He was in his own bed. But how? The persistent, dull ache in his muscles told him that his journey hadn't been a dream.

"I wonder what illness I caught while I was down there, he thought. I feel terrible. He felt himself getting tense, so he comforted himself by imagining Mokey's art. He visualized the first friend he ever made serenely dipping her tail into a jar of cool, green, paint. He imagined until he was too exhausted to imagine anymore. His calm gave way to discomfort. His throat felt like sandpaper and he was still freezing.

Wembley, who was sitting on Lana's stool in the corner after the others had decided to take a break, heard a hoarse voice from the bed.

"Wha- what happened?"

"Boober! You're awake! You're alive! You're gonna be OK!"

"So cold," said Boober, as Wembley jumped up and down. Wembley checked himself. It wouldn't do to explode now.

Wembley handed Boober a mug. Boober was too disoriented to notice what was in it. He gulped it down and felt a pleasant warmth spread through his body.

"Wait till I tell Red and Mokey and Gobo," Wembley was saying. "And Lan-"

He stopped, afraid that Boober had heard, but Boober was asleep again. Wembley sighed and sat back down on his stool again. It wouldn't hurt to wait until Boober could stay awake to tell the others.


	8. Awakening

Chapter 9

Red was bouncing a ball against the cave wall.

"Three hundred thirty-five, 336, 337…"

"Will you stop that?" yelled Gobo. Red threw the ball with even more force. It bounced back and hit her on the nose.

"Serves you right," said Gobo. "It'll be your turn to watch Boober soon, don't get antsy."

"I'm not antsy," said Red, picking up her barbells. "How long has Lana been asleep, anyway?"

Gobo looked over at Lana who, being to big to fit into Gobo and Wembley's sleeping nooks, had collapsed in exhaustion onto a pile of pillows on the floor.

"You know, I don't blame her for making Boober jump in the mud," Gobo whispered. "I mean, I do, but not much".

"Yeah, I know what you mean, " said Red. Even Mokey hasn't been too mad at her."

"I wonder why Mokey's been so… obsessed with Boober lately," said Gobo, frustrated. "I mean, what's he ever done? Laundry? Ha! That's nothing to someone who's seen the world, like me!"

Red knew what Gobo meant by those words even if Gobo didn't, and felt a prick of jealousy towards Mokey. Embarrassed, she nearly dropped the barbells on her feet. Gobo didn't notice.

A few minutes later, Wembley came barreling into the room.

"Hurry, Hurry, Boober's awake! " he said, dashing out again.

"I'll go get Mokey, "said Red, running off towards her cave.

"It took several minutes to rouse Lana, but finally she awoke. "I keep out of sight, at least at first, "She said. "Boober needs time to recover before we lay another shocker on him."

As Gobo started towards Boober's room, he could hear Wembley getting increasingly exasperated.

"Boober, You're not gonna die!"

"Yes I will! I'm languishing!"

"Boober-"

"I'm surprised I didn't catch hypothermia down there!"

"Boober-"

I'll die!"

"Boober!" Wembley was bellowing now, near tears. "Don't you know how much we missed you?" Overcome with emotion, he ducked out of the room.

"Now you've done it, Boober. We've been trying to calm him down."

"Since when does Wem get so upset? "

"Since we nearly lost you," said Gobo. "Where's Mokey?" he called to Red, who had just entered the room.

"She's coming! She just needed a few minutes to… ah… collect herself," said Red.

"How long have I been gone?" asked Boober.

Red twisted her left ponytail nervously. "Almost two weeks."

"WHAT?"

"Boober, calm down, everything's been taken care of."

Boober looked at them skeptically. "Laundry?"

"Check, but a few of the things bled."

"Cooking?"

"Check, but for some reason no one liked it," said Gobo.

"Yeah, even Large Marvin wouldn't eat it," said Red, snickering.

"_Red!_" yelled Gobo.

"Boober?" said a quiet voice.

"M-Mokey?"

Mokey came forward, her walk uncertain, her gaze that of a Fraggle who does not quite believe.

She sat uneasily on Boober's bed.

"You're alive," she said in wonderment.

"Of course he is," said Red. "Don't you believe anything I tell you?"

But Boober and Mokey seemed to only have eyes for each other.

"Mokey, have you been crying?" Boober reached up and touched Mokey's cheek.

"That doesn't matter now," she said. "I painted you something. Look up."

Boober raised his head with great difficulty. He gasped in delight.

"_Oh…_"

On the ceiling of Boober's room, Mokey had painted a large mural of Crystal Cavern. It took Boober some time to tear his eyes away from this precious gift, but finally he did.

"One question," he said. "Well, two. First, can someone get Wembley back?"

"I'm here, Boober. I just got a little overwhelmed, that's all."

"Second, how in the Rock did you rescue me?"

Everyone's expression suddenly fell.

"You're probably going to hate us for this," muttered Red.

"I'm sorry, Boober," sobbed Mokey. "We _had_ to…"

"What do you mean?"

The Draggles parted to let Lana through. Boober gasped.

"Hey, Boober," said Lana sheepishly.


	9. Visit

Chapter 10

"YOU!" screamed Boober. "I should have known. What did you tell them? What do they know?"

Red pursed her lips, but a whimper slipped between them. Showing weakness for the second time in two weeks, she buried her face in her hands.

"Don't you remember, Boober?" Lana's voice was a gentle whisper.

"No," said Boober staunchly, crossing his arms. His memories before waking up for the first time had faded away.

"You were delirious, Boober," said Wembley, "And you were yelling things about your house burning down."

"And then we pestered Lana until we found out the rest," said Gobo. "It wasn't her fault."

"Don't try to stick up for her, Gobo," said Boober. "She's reckless- dangerous."

If he had sounded angry, it would have been a comfort to Lana to know that he was at least asserting himself, but she knew from the way his song thrummed in her ears that he was petrified, scared of the Fraggle who had once been the only thing close to a sister that he had.

"I'm going to see the Trash Heap," she muttered. "Keep an eye on him."

0o0

Lana ducked out of the Fraggle hole and walked slowly across the Gorgs' garden. Gobo had told her that the Fraggles had made peace with the Gorgs, but she didn't quite believe him. She cast a wary eye over the fields, continuing to walk.

Finally she spotted Philo and Gunge, and scrambled up to them.

"Excuse me, but may I see the Trash Heap, please?"

Philo and Gunge gazed at her sardonically.

"Hey, she looks kind of familiar," said Gunge. "Think we should let her see Marjory?"

"Nah," said Philo, "She doesn't look like she needs help _that _badly."

"Boys," said a voice from the depths of the garbage, "are you shooing visitors away again?"

"Er, You are in the presence of-"

"The all-knowing-"

"The all-seeing-"

"Trash Heap! Nyeah!"

The Trash Heap rose up out of the ground. "Well, hello little Fraggle, have we met before?'

Lana sighed. "Yes."

"Let me think, where… ah, yes, I remember now, you are Lana Fraggle, cousin to Boober Fraggle, is that right?"

Lana nodded, thinking, I will not cry.

"I am glad that you have returned, though you should have taken my advice and stayed in the first place. Now tell me, what troubles you?"

Lana began her story with a straight face, but by the end she was sobbing. "I don't know what to do, Madame Heap," she moaned. "I don't know what to do."

"Now, Lana, " said Marjory, "Are you going to take my advice this time?"

Lana nodded emphatically.

"Listen, I foresee an event that will make Boober realize how dear you is to him. Until that event comes to pass, you are to lay low. Be kind, but do not force him. And by the way, things will work out with Pedley, too.

Lana perked up. "Pedley?"

"The Trash Heap has spoken."

"Nyeah."

"Thank you, Madame Heap!" Lana yelled, and the Trash Heap sank back into the ground.


	10. Tragedy

Chapter 11

Boober gritted his teeth as Lana walked across the floor, stick banging across the cold rock. The stress of the past few days- seeing Lana again for the first time in years, and trying to figure out what it was that made her think he'd eventually be happy to see her- had given him a sick headache. He tried to block out the conversation that Lana was having with Wembley, but they were too near him for his efforts to be of any avail.

"What are you gonna do today, Lana?"

"I'm seeing an old friend."

"Who?"

"Pedley Fraggle."

Oh! The one who makes all the paintings?"

"That's him!"

"How do you know him?"

"We were Songtwined- well, almost. I had to leave before we could go through with the ceremony, but I had to do what Boober wanted…"

She trailed off, and the atmosphere around them suddenly seemed to be strained. Songtwining allowed nearly mated Fraggle pairs to be empathically connected, to share each other's feelings. Not all Fraggles chose to do this, and those who did had to undergo months of intense training so that it wouldn't go wrong. It was a risk only Fraggles that were truly in love would take.

Boober felt a stab of guilt. It had been so long since Lana had seen Pedley that he may have lost interest in her by now, and it was his fault…

Pushing the thought away, he waited until Lana was close to the bed again. With each thump of the stick, he felt himself getting more annoyed. Why did she even have it in the first place?

He grabbed the stick from her, expecting her to catch herself, then turn around and yell at him. Instead, she crumpled, her dress fanning out so that he could see her legs for the first time. He gasped. Her left leg was crooked. It looked impossible to stand on, let alone walk with.

Wembley looked frantically from Lana to Boober. When he saw Boober with the stick in his hand, he exploded. "Boober, the way you treat Lana is just awful! Why do you have to be so mean to her? She saved your life! She helped us all!"

He ran out of the room, sobbing. "I DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND ANYMORE!"

"Wembley!" cried Lana, snatching the stick from Boober and scurrying after him.

0o0

Lana knew she'd missed her reunion with Pedley by now.

She'd been following Wembley for hours, cursing her injury, which had made her lose Wembley in about three seconds. She'd gotten it after she'd left, so no one had known about it until now. She sniffed the air, and then sneezed. A dust storm was coming. She had to find him.

Finally she located him. The dust storm was gaining on them, and Lana was finding it difficult to breathe. Wembley wasn't faring much better. He wheezed as the dust entered his lungs.

Lana handed him a handkerchief doused in pollen ointment. "Here, take this."

Wembley looked at her anxiously. He knew that she shared his allergy to rock dust.

"Just… go. " she whispered. "Find… Pedley."

Then she collapsed.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Boober sat on his bed, turning over Wembley's words in his mind. He couldn't wipe his friend's shocked face from his memory. He couldn't erase what he himself had said and done.

I wonder how Lana got hurt, he thought. I wasn't there. She hurt herself and I wasn't there…

This train of thought refused to be completed and was soon abandoned. Boober couldn't stand it anymore. The pain and heartbreak he had bottled up for years came rushing back. He could see his mother's blurry figure before him and hear the words he had… what? Dreamt? In the undergrounds.

_I never left. _

He remembered his father, too, whom he'd looked so much like. He'd inherited his exact same fur colors, and his love for cooking, and…

"Boober?"

Boober startled, expecting another ghost, but it was only Mokey, with something under her arm.

"May I come in?" her voice was gentle, light as a Ditsy.

"If you don't hate me."

"Don't be silly."

Boober scooted over so that Mokey could sit on the edge of the bed.

"Don't worry about Wembley. All Fraggles learn that the world outside the Rock is not always a nice place. He just learned it a little too suddenly is all." Mokey smoothed her hair a little absentmindedly, and looked at Boober with a faraway expression in her eyes.

"What?"

"I was just thinking...you learned that the world can be harsh quite early. It must have been difficult for you."

Boober nodded.

"I'm going to apologize to everyone," he said.

"Boober, there's something I want you to consider. I've seen you at your best and at your worst. I've seen Sidebottom, and even though you're not at your best right now, I think this is a good time to say-"

"This way, Wembley! I know you don't want to see Boober right now, but we've got to get help!"

"He won't want to help her! It's my fault. I left her there!"

Boober and Mokey looked at each other in puzzlement as Wembley and Pedley ran into the room. Wembley had a handkerchief tied around his nose and mouth, and Boober could hear him wheezing slightly.

Boober slid out of bed and walked toward Wembley unsteadily. He had barely been out of bed for two weeks and he was still a bit dizzy. Mokey followed close behind.

"Wem, what happened?"

Pedley sighed. "Lana was caught in a dust storm, Boober."

Boober stared at Pedley with his concealed eyes.

"Pedley, I'm surprised at you. Disaster isn't something to joke about. I mean, if she'd really been caught in a dust storm, she'd be in huge trouble." He chuckled. "What?" he said as Pedley shook his head.

"We're not joking, Boober," said Pedley. "She doesn't have much time. Gobo and Red are with her now, but they're not top medics like you."

"He is correct, Boober. You must hurry if you are to save your cousin."

Cantus had followed Wembley and Pedley silently behind, and now stood next to Boober's collection of laundry lint. "You have forgiven her now, yes?"

Boober's voice was a strained whisper. "Yes. But is she really…"

Cantus nodded. "What you do not realize, Boober, is that everybody has a song. Fraggles, Doozers, Silly Creatures, Gorgs, all are part of the great medley that is the universe. Your path has been a difficult one, but from it you have gained much. You are ready. You are not a child anymore. Go forth and accomplish great things."


	12. Rescue again

Chapter 13

Lana could hear her breath rattling in her ears. Her heart hammered and her chest felt as if an invisible hand was constricting it. She barely noticed Gobo and Red hovering over her with an assortment of Boober's remedies.

"No, Red! Mokey said to give her _this _bottle, not _that_ one!"

"What does Mokey know about medicine anyway, Gobo? I'm giving her this one. Moonrose helps allergies, right?"

"Moonrose brings down fevers, Red! Give me the bottle!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

Red had both hands clasped around the bottle, and Gobo was doing was doing his best to wrench it from her grasp. Soon it looked like a tug-of-war game, but no one was laughing.

"Actually, neither of those bottles will do any good."

"Boober! Tell Gobo to quit pestering me!"

"Who's being the pest?" countered Gobo.

"Oh honestly, will you two stop? You fight like an old mated couple."

Red blushed deeply. Gobo was too busy fantasizing about being mated with Mokey to notice.

Boober chose to ignore Red's blush and began searching through the cupboards for pollen ointment. At first his search was methodical, but as Lana's breaths became gasping pleas for air, Boober started to panic. As he finished searching the last shelf, he rounded on Red and Gobo. "What did you do with the ointment?"

"You mean you don't have her medicine?"

"You mean _you_ don't have it?"

"Where is it?"

"Lana, do you- Lana!""

Lana's eyes had shut. She had passed out.

0o0

Lana found herself floating, surrounded by white light. Wherever she was, it was pleasantly warm, and she could at least breathe.

I wonder how Boober is doing, she thought. I hope he isn't too worried about me. But where am I?

Lana concentrated, her mind reaching out to any songs that might be heard. The notes came to her just moments later, each one familiar. She squinted into the bright light.

"Auntie Glenda?"

0o0

Mokey, Wembley, Pedley, Red and Gobo looked on helplessly as Boober turned over everything in his room looking for the ointment. Finally, they found the jar in Lana's corner of the room. It was empty.

"NO!" cried Boober, and he began to sob.

"She must have used it all on the handkerchief, " said Wembley. "Now what do we do?"

The Fraggles looked at each other blankly. Boober's sobs quieted, but he was still in no condition to speak.

Suddenly, Gobo's face brightened. "Wait! I remember the last time I went to Outer Space, Doc told me about a friend of his, who had a really bad allergy called asthma. He used something called liquid cayenne pepper to get rid of it. I bet I could get some for you.".

"Y-you know how I feel about Outer Space remedies," said Boober, struggling to regain his composure.

"This one comes from a plant. I'm sure it'll work. We have to try!"

0o0

"Yes dear, it's me!" Glenda sounded delighted, but doubt flickered in Lana's mind.

"But aren't you- am I-"

"Oh no dear, you're not dead- and I am still alive, in a sense at least. When we die, we go on."

Lana stared at her aunt, who was starting to come into focus. Lana had inherited her aunt's magenta fur and yellow hair, but she was a good deal taller than Glenda, who was Boober's height.

"I brought you here because I have message for Boober," said Glenda gently. "I know you must be confused, but we don't have much time."

0o0

"I have the bottle!" shouted Gobo.

"Hurry, Boober!" shouted Red.

"Doc says a few drops should do it," said Gobo

With Pedley's help, Boober forced Lana's mouth open. He poured three drops down her throat.

0o0

Almost as quickly as it had appeared, the image of Glenda began to dissolve.

"Oh, dear," said Glenda. "We must hurry. Tell Boober that I am always with him, and to trust himself, and…" Glenda's voice began to fade, "Tell him I approve of his new mate."

0o0

Lana felt a heave, as if she were being pushed back into her old life. She discovered that she was no longer struggling to breathe, but she was exhausted. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought she felt Pedley's hand holding hers.


	13. Happy Ending?

Chapter 14

Two weeks later, The Fraggles trailed behind Mokey, who was covering Boober's eyes with her hands just in case he could see his surprise from underneath his hat. Lana wore a cast on her leg (Boober had re-broken the fracture for her so that her leg would heal properly.) but otherwise little on the surface had changed.

Mokey gently guided Boober through the tunnels. Pedley held Lana's hand. When Lana had woken up the morning after her allergy attack, all doubt that he remembered her had faded when she saw him sitting beside her bed.

Red was wondering what had come over her two weeks ago, when she had blushed at Boober's mention of her and Gobo acting like a mated couple. As if she could mate with a fraggle who, at times, could be the bossiest, most annoying Fraggle in the Rock! Besides, he seemed to like Mokey better than her anyway.

Wembley was wondering why all of his friends had fallen in love, and when it would happen to him.

Finally, the seven Fraggles made it to their destination- the Great Hall.

"Open your eyes, " Mokey told Boober.

She took her hands away, and as if on cue, the Fraggles began to sing.

We all gather here today To celebrate a friend Who we thought was lost to us forever. We are all one, and so a part of us was lost to usAnd we sought him out with fervor. Oooh, we can't say how we missed him, But he has returned. And now we'll share a lesson we have learned. Never take your friends for granted. They may go away, But in our hearts and minds is where they'll stay. Now our song is done so we can play!

The great hall was filled with Fraggles, and all were singing this song. They stood elbow to elbow; it was so crowded. A Fraggle Boober didn't even know began to chant his name. The entire crowd took up the chant. Boober happily buried his face in Mokey's sweater.

After he recovered himself, Boober noticed two other Fraggles blocking his view of something a few yards away.

"What's that?" he asked, and the Fraggles parted, revealing an array of new cooking tools, a new cookbook, and the wrapped package Mokey had never gotten around to giving him earlier that month.

After only looking at his other things for a few seconds, Boober ripped the paper off Mokey's parcel. In it was a small painting of Mokey and Boober. Its color was a little faded, but Boober recognized it instantly.

When mokey had first taken up painting, she had drawn herself and Boober playing Hidey-ho. Boober had thought it absurd at the time, but he now understood what the painting meant. Mokey seemed to be reading his mind, because she said, "Whoever you are, and whoever you choose to become, I will always love you. Boober, I would be honored if you would be my mate."

Boober looked at Mokey and smiled, reaching up to hold her hand. "Yes."

In the absolute mayhem that ensued afterward, no one but noticed Gobo slip out of the Great Hall

0o0

Red found Gobo in the T. Matthew Fraggle Room. She went over to him

Gobo looked up. "Hey, Red. Listen, I know that the way Mokey feels about Boober isn't gonna change."

Red looked at him, not sure wether to be happy or sad. "No, it's not."

"I have to go away for a while, to forget this," he continued.

"You're… you're leaving?"

"I'm going to see Doc. I'm using the archway. No one will notice if I leave by that route."

"But… but…"

"Goodbye, Red," said Gobo, and before Red could get her words out, he touched the archway, and disappeared in a rush of wind and light.

To be continued in the semi- near future in, "Three Separate Journeys."


End file.
